Laurel Hedging FAQs

Plant laurel hedging 60 to 90cm (2 to 3ft) apart in a single row. At 60cm you need roughly 17 plants for a 10 metre hedge; at 90cm you need about 12.

Closer spacing gives you a dense screen sooner but costs more because you buy more plants. Wider spacing is cheaper and the hedge will still fill in, it just takes an extra season or two.

Laurel is easy to plant, and a well-planted hedge establishes much faster. The aim is to make it easy for the roots to spread.

1. Mark out the planting line, allowing for the eventual width of the hedge.
2. Dig a trench twice the width of the pots or rootballs and set the plants in at your chosen spacing, at the same depth they were growing.
3. Backfill with the dug soil mixed with good compost, firm it gently so the soil stays loose around the roots, and water in thoroughly.

See our full guide to planting a laurel hedge.

Pot-grown laurel can go in at almost any time of year, but early autumn is ideal. The soil is still warm, so roots establish before winter, and the plants avoid the heat and drought of summer in their first year.

Rootballed and bare-root laurel is lifted from the field while dormant and is only available from November to March. It is cheaper than pot-grown stock.

Anything planted during the growing season (March to October) needs regular watering until it is established.

Plant at least 45cm (18in) from a wall or fence, and further if you can. You need room to trim the back of the hedge, otherwise it can push against the fence as it grows and cause damage.

Once the hedge is dense, the back gets little light and growth there slows. It will still grow over the top into your neighbour’s garden, so agree with them how that side will be trimmed.

Container-grown laurel is raised in pots and can be planted any time of year, as long as it is watered through the growing season.

Rootballed laurel is grown in the field and lifted in winter with a ball of soil around the roots, wrapped in hessian until planting. It can only be planted from November to March.

Bare-root laurel is also field-grown and lifted in winter, but with the soil washed off. It is the cheapest option but has a higher failure rate, so plant it quickly and keep the roots moist.

Under ideal conditions you can expect roughly:

• Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus): up to 60cm (2ft) a year
• Portuguese laurel (Prunus lusitanica): up to 45cm (18in) a year
• Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis): up to 40cm (16in) a year when young, slowing as it matures

Ideal means a sheltered, sunny site, fertile soil and plenty of water. Anything less will slow growth down.

All three laurels grow in sun or partial shade. Cherry laurel and Portuguese laurel cope with shade best, which is why they are often used under trees and along shady boundaries. Bay prefers more sun and shelter.

Cherry laurel and Portuguese laurel are toxic if eaten. Their leaves and seeds contain compounds that release cyanide when crushed, so keep clippings away from livestock and never use them in cooking. Avoid leaving large piles of fresh clippings in enclosed spaces such as a car boot.

Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) is the only one of the three used in the kitchen. See bay leaves for cooking.

Trim back any shoots that stick out beyond the height and width you want straight after planting. Then trim the sides and top lightly twice a year. Each cut encourages the shoots inside the hedge to branch, which builds a dense screen from the base up.

Give laurel its routine trim between late spring and late summer, ideally in dry weather. Stop by September so new growth can harden before winter.

If a hedge needs cutting back hard, do it in early spring (around March), just before the main flush of growth, so it recovers quickly.

Always check for nesting birds first. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to damage or destroy an active nest, and the main nesting season runs from March to August.

Yes, but with large-leaved cherry laurel a powered trimmer slices through leaves and the cut edges turn brown. It looks untidy for a few weeks until new growth covers it. For the neatest finish, especially on smaller hedges, use secateurs or hand shears and cut stems just above a leaf.

In most cases, no. You can plant a hedge without planning permission, but you are responsible for its care and maintenance. Check your property deeds or any planning conditions on new-build estates, which sometimes restrict boundary planting. Read more about laurel hedging and the law.

There is no fixed height limit for a garden hedge. However, in England and Wales a neighbour can complain to the council about a “high hedge”: two or more mostly evergreen trees or shrubs, over two metres tall, that affect their reasonable enjoyment of their property. The council can then require the hedge to be cut back. Keeping your hedge at a sensible height avoids the problem.

Yes. The leaves of the bay tree (Laurus nobilis) are edible and widely used in cooking. Dried leaves stay sharp and stiff even after cooking, so they are usually removed before serving. Ground bay leaf is safe to eat.

Read more about cooking with bay leaves.

Bay is hardy to around -5°C once established, but frost and cold, drying winds can scorch the leaves and young plants are more vulnerable. Grow it in a sheltered spot, wrap container plants or move them into an unheated greenhouse or porch in a hard freeze, and avoid feeding late in the season so soft growth does not go into winter.

Yes, bay is one of the best plants for a pot. Use a soil-based compost with extra grit for drainage, water regularly in summer without letting it sit wet, and feed with a slow-release or liquid fertiliser from mid-spring to late summer. Repot or refresh the top layer of compost every couple of years in spring.